Toxic plumes spreading into Limerick groundwater

Twin underground plumes of potentially carcinogenic chemicals from two industrial sites are merging and mingling with the groundwater beneath 47 homes, fouling their wells and posing health hazards for the residents there, state officials have confirmed. The source of the contamination is believed to be the Teleflex Inc. plant on South Limerick Road and the former Stanley Tool Works on Lewis Road, said Lynda Rebarchak, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The DEP has named the project after a nearby stream, calling it the Turtle Creek Hazardous Site Clean-up Act site. The site was referred to the DEP in 2001 by the Montgomery County Health Department, Rebarchak said, and the agency tested wells quarterly from early 2003 until spring, 2009.